Since 2002, the majority of Texans have had to choose their own Retail Electric Provider (REP) – the middleman that buys electricity wholesale, then sells it to you, the consumer. According to the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ 2017 report, the Lone Star state is “the national leader in competitive residential, commercial, and industrial offerings,” which means there are well over 200 providers bidding for your attention.
Utility companies are responsible for transmission and delivery of electricity even in energy deregulated parts of Texas and should be contacted in the event of a power outage. Your retail energy supplier may provide you competitive electric rates or exceptional customer service, but they cannot repair power lines or restore your service. In the case of an emergency, contact:
Texas electricity deregulation has given millions of Houston residents and businesses the power to choose the cheapest electricity rate. According to ERCOT, over 92% of Texas homes and businesses who live in deregulated areas have switched electric companies since deregulation began in 2002. Even though electric choice in Texas has been hugely successful for energy savings, customers are still confused by the options, terminology, and overall process of switching electric providers.
However, the energy storage sector will continue its strong showing from 2016, with commissioned capacity set to exceed 1GW for the first time, Liebreich and McCrone say. “We predict a doubling of new capacity from this year’s 700MW to 1.5GW, almost all of it lithium-ion batteries. We are going to see a further reduction in battery prices of at least 15% this year, after a 70% reduction in the past five years.”

Electric bills for customers in the Houston area can more than double in summer months, mainly because air conditioning. Not coincidentally, electric rates also rise in the summer months because of this increase in demand. The most dramatic rate increases occur in month-to-month plans, but electric rates do increase across the board for all fixed-rate contract lengths.

Then, in 2002, Texas deregulated the electricity market and everybody cheered! Except that, sure, deregulation opened up the market to competition that may (or may not) have resulted in lower rates, but it introduced a whole host of other issues. These issues may not have been factors before but now they’re critical when you’re on the look-out for cheap Houston electricity providers.
If you think you have to pay the rates your current electricity provider charges, we have good news. The state of Texas allows you to choose which electricity provider you use. This means you can select a provider that has the cheapest Texas electric rates in your area and the best plan for your needs, whether you need a better deal for your residence, your business, or both. Thousands of consumers and businesses that have used our electricity rate comparison process agree that, when shopping for commercial electricity or residential electricity rates and plans, Vault Electricity is the one-stop source for the best options from top electric providers.
Not only does Amigo Energy feature useful resources on our blog, but we have the right technology to help you track your residential electricity usage and take actions that may help with energy savings. We offer the latest technology (phone apps, smart thermostats, and even smart sprinklers) so you can worry less about your electric bill and focus on what really matters in life.
Once you sign up for your new energy plan, your local utility will be notified of the change and begin your service from the alternative supplier at the beginning of your next billing cycle. Upon starting your energy supply service, your utility company will include this charge on your energy bill and continue to charge for the delivery service portion of your bill. Why? Because although your supplier may offer you a competitive rate for electricity supply, your utility is still in charge of the infrastructure that delivers energy to your home – such as power lines and energy meters.

No. When you’ve chosen a new deal, your new supplier will handle the switching process. They’ll contact you to let you know what date you’ll be transferred over, and they’ll contact you around the switching date to ask for a meter reading. They’ll pass this on to your old supplier so they can send you a final bill. You don’t need to contact your old supplier, as the new supplier will handle everything for you.

Customers can find deals in competitive electricity markets if they take the time and effort to look at web sites such as powertochoose.org, the official comparison shopping site of the Public Utility Commission. The study cited a PUC survey of retail electricity offerings in Houston that showed nine deals in March that were lower than the regulated price of electricity in San Antonio.

1. Contracts: Before, there were no contracts. You signed up or you didn’t. When it’s the only game in town, you have to play by their rules. Nowadays, you’ll see these ultra-fabulous rates bandied about but it’s only by carefully scrutinizing the fine print that you’ll discover those wonderful rates come with a one-year lock-down or other catches.

Here you'll find some of the most competitive retail energy plans available in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, listed by utility service area. These plans have been vetted by the team of experts at Choose Energy — an energy shopping and comparison website — and are recommended based on short-term value, long-term value, lowest price, percent green and plan popularity by utility service area.
Constellation is one of the largest integrated energy suppliers in the US, providing electricity and natural gas to over 2.5 residential and commercial clients, including two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies. The company promotes renewable power, and offers energy management products and services for both homes and businesses. From energy procurement to energy efficiency and distributed energy solutions — the company helps its customers strategically buy, manage and use their energy.
Once you sign up for your new energy plan, your local utility will be notified of the change and begin your service from the alternative supplier at the beginning of your next billing cycle. Upon starting your energy supply service, your utility company will include this charge on your energy bill and continue to charge for the delivery service portion of your bill. Why? Because although your supplier may offer you a competitive rate for electricity supply, your utility is still in charge of the infrastructure that delivers energy to your home – such as power lines and energy meters.
City Power and Gas is licensed and regulated by the governing body that regulates the energy rates and services within New York. Their core management team has over 50 years of industry knowledge and expertise in providing energy to customers nationwide. This experience in the retail energy markets has enabled them to bring the most competitive pricing and fixed pricing plans to the customers, giving them protection against unforeseen high utility bills. Their in-house, US based customer service and quality assurance specialists are dedicated to promptly respond and deal with all clients’ inquiries.
When comparing electric generation suppliers you need to know the Annual Price-to-Compare and the Average Annual Cost (cents per kilowatt hour or kWh for short) that a supplier must beat (compared to DP&L's standard offer rate) in order for you to save money. In other words, the Annual Price-to-Compare is the amount that you no longer have to pay to DP&L when you choose an alternate electric generation supplier.
PPL Electric Utilities services over 1.4 million electricity customers in the central and eastern Pennsylvania counties of Lancaster, Lehigh, Pike, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Juniata, Northumberland, Snyder, Union, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Columbia, Luzerne, Lackawana and Wayne. The current PPL Price to Compare for electricity supply is 7.439¢ per kWh — effective 12/1/16 through 5/31/17.
To do so, we used five of the state’s largest electricity companies to explore six things you'll have to evaluate when you're comparing plans and providers: We’ll walk you through customer satisfaction scores, running the numbers on rates, and calculating the impact of different fees, discounts, and contract types. We'll weigh in on extra perks, like points, and green energy too.